Peter Buxton, who worked at The Sentinel in Stoke-on-Trent for 37 years, 27 of them as sports editor, has died at the age of 80 after a two-year battle with cancer.
He began his career on the old City Times in Stoke before joining the Royal Navy in the Second World War and seeing six years active service in the Mediterranean and on Atlantic and Russian convoys.
On his return, he worked for the Nottingham Guardian and Post before joining The Sentinel in 1950. He worked his way through the newsroom to become deputy sports editor and was made sports editor in 1960. He had a strong interest in local sport, particularly football and boxing, and served on a number of sporting committees for may years.
Even in his final year, he was involved in The Sentinel’s football competitions, collecting money on the gate.
His work brought him into contact with many famous sporting figures and he was proud to count Sir Stanley Matthews as a close friend. He also wrote a history of Stoke City Football Club and ghosted the biography of former world snooker champion Ray Reardon.
Peter was a Justice of the Peace for 25 years and brought to the courtroom the same firm but fair principles he applied to his work in journalism. In 1986 he was awarded the MBE, a year before he retired from The Sentinel.
Chris Buxton
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